The Swordsman and the Ninja
by KaBunny
Summary: Just about year later, Aoshi still has yet to recover his memories. He seems pressed to remember them, but can't. Will he remember before he marries the lovely Princess Kaoru who is still hoping on that star? Can he get over the wild dreams he having abou
1. A Dreamy Relationship

Author's Notes: Hello minna-sama! I hope your're back to read this story....er, well this sequel! Cause I know you all absolutely hate me for what I left the other story at, eh heh heh. However, I couldn't just continue the story from where I left it off at. I figured, new enemy, new problem, new story! Hehe, I sometimes love my ingenious blonde brain....repeat, sometimes. Anywho, I hope you all like this story as much as the last one. To remind you, this is only my second RuroKen story. On with the madness that is my writing!  
  
Title: The Swordsman and the Ninja (Hehe, before it was Kenshin and Kaoru (The Scholar and the Princess) now its Aoshi and Misao (Swordsman....Ninja) Haha....funny! Get it? Maybe I'll do a second sequel, The Knight and the Doctor, ::giggles::)  
  
Author: KaBunny  
  
E-mail: Alexandra_Miyoko@yahoo.com  
  
Rating: PG-13 (for violence....and maybe some swearing, which I'm not too keen on coming out of anyone's mouth but my own)  
  
Chapter One: A Dreamy Relationship  
  
Kaoru yawned lightly as she smiled back at her reflection. She ran a brush quickly through her hair before setting it down on her vanity top and running her fingers through her dark hair, fluffing it up. She ran her fingers lightly through her bangs and gave a small laugh as she looked outside to the sun streaming through the blue drapes of her room.  
'In just one week,' she thought, running her fingers over her light green nightgown. 'Just one more week. That's all I have to wait.' She gave another small giggle of excitment before running out of her bedroom and down the hall.  
As she took a corner, she ran smack into a hard chest of someone much taller than her. She glanced up into the surprised eyes of Sano and smiled. "Hello, Sano," she said, brightly. "How are you?"  
"I'm okay," he replied, unsure of himself. "How about you?"  
"I'm wonderful!" Kaoru answered, giving another small giggle before twirling past him and wandering down the hall. "Catch you later!" she called after him as she continued walking, more like skipping, down the hall, humming a small tune.  
He stared off after her and as soon as he was sure she was around the corner, his smile fell into a frown. He knew why she was so happy, but he was not so sure that "he" would come back or that "he" had even heard anything of Kaoru's up and coming wedding. So, the captain knew that if "he" had not shown up to the stop it, Aoshi and he would have to comfort and console the grieving Kaoru. 'Love can be pure and wonderful, but it can also be cruel and spiteful,' the knight thought, sighing.  
"Sano!" he heard a voice call from behind him and the knight whirled around to see Aoshi jogging toward him. 'Ah, the groom to be,' Sano thought, faking a happy smile as he waved to the man. "Have you seen Kaoru around?"  
"Um, I just saw her wandering off that way," he muttered, gesturing down the hall. "Be warned, however, she's humming."  
"Thinking about him, again, is she?" Aoshi questioned, rolling his eyes slightly. A dark look then came over his face. "I hope he does return, for her sake as well as his."  
"Me too," Sano replied, sighing again. "Anywho, I need to get back to my room. I have to finish shining my armor for your ceremony."  
"Well, bye Sano," Aoshi said, smiling again at the knight as he wandered off in the direction that Sano had indicated to search for Kaoru. He glanced back only once to see Sano disappearing around a corner.  
He had to find Kaoru and tell her about his latest dream. Ever since the scholar and his sister had left, he had been having strange dreams involving the young ninja. Because Kaoru had been confiding in him about Kenshin, he felt that he should confide in her about Misao. He had been doing just that by telling her of the dreams he had about meeting the young girl.  
At first, the dreams had come abruptly. He and she had both seemed nervous around one another, but that had soon worn off. They became comfortable, wandering around in the twilight together, sharing stories of the past and interests that they both shared together. They connected as if they were spending time together in person and... dating.  
Eventually, the dreams changed and that was only after Aoshi had professed his love to her. Of course, it was only a dream, but sometimes, Aoshi couldn't convince himself of such. It had all seemed so real. Last night, he had told her of his marriage and she had said something very strange to him that he couldn't wait to tell Kaoru of.  
He approached the throne room, and the rather large door was closed. A young man was standing next to the door, however, with his arms crossed and an annoyed look upon his face. Aoshi rolled his eyes and schooled his amused face into calm lines.  
"Got kicked out again, did you Shishio?" Aoshi questioned, stepping up to the much shorter man.  
"The princess wished to speak with her father in private," Shishio muttered, annoyance evident in voice. The bandaged man looked up to Aoshi, his reddish brown eyes dully burning with anger. "I, of course, had to let her."  
Aoshi did not know what had happened to Shishio precisely, but he knew that the man had been badly burned at some point in his life. He now worn bandages that covered all his burns on his body underneath some sort of fighting G.I. that was always partially slumped off his shoulder. His head of bandages often reminded Aoshi of the mauraders living in the Figaro Desert. (AN: I'm such a name thief, hee hee!)  
"Do you know what of?" he questioned, glancing at the large door next the leaning figure.  
"No clue," Shishio grumbled, closing his eyes as he tried to contain his anger in patience. "Better not be something stupid. I was in the middle of discussing peace negotiations with the king and how they should be handled with Mysidia, which seems to side with Alexandria on more than one issue upon which we disagree."  
"Ah, I see," Aoshi murmured, not being able to school his amusement into calm lines anymore. "Peace negotiations...."  
"Have you recovered your memories yet?" Shishio questioned, causing Aoshi to wince. A self-satisfied smile crept onto the man's face. "I'll take that as a no. A pity... you used to be... quite an adversary."  
"Was I?" Aoshi asked, shrugging slightly as it did not matter. "I'll remember eventually. Ah, princess. Just the woman I was looking for."  
"Ah, ah," Kaoru said, teasingly as she linked arms with Aoshi. She had just wandered out of the throne room with a slightly annoyed look on her face. "Not for another week. You should know better than to call me that."  
"Sorry, Kaoru," Aoshi muttered, smiling at her. "I'll make it up to you by telling you about my latest dream."  
The two continued to talk excitedly as they wandered down the hall and out of earshot of Shishio who smirked maliciously. The king's new advisor turned and wandered back into the throne room, one thought on his mind. 'You will be such a lovely pawn, Aoshi, especially when your memory comes back.'  
  
~~~~~~ (Not done just yet, =) )  
  
"So, you finally told her that you were getting married? But, why?" Kaoru questioned, sitting down in a chair. She and Aoshi had made their way to the library as Aoshi explained the setting of the dream, what had happened, and finally reached the part that he was dying to tell Kaoru in hopes of answers.  
"Well, I felt sort of obligated," Aoshi murmured, not quite sure why he did it himself.  
"But, she's just a dream," Kaoru said, confused as she shook her head.  
"It feels real, Kaoru," he answered, looking up at her. She accepted that answer as soon as she saw the look in his icy blue eyes. He was telling the truth.  
"So, what did she say?" she asked, quite interested in hearing what he had to say.  
"Nothing at first," Aoshi answered, shaking his head and then he shrugged. "But, after awhile, and this was after I was sure I must be waking up, she said that she would fix it."  
"Fix what?" Kaoru inquired, pushing her eyebrows together in thought.  
  
"I don't know," he responded, looking back up at her again.  
"What happened next?"  
"I woke up," he muttered, sighing as he put his head in his hand. He had a flash of Misao in her long white flowing gown saying that she would fix it before he looked up at Kaoru again. The dark haired girl was in deep thought. Surely she would have some input.  
"Princess Kaoru! We are ready to size you for your wedding dress," a woman said from the doorway.  
Kaoru glanced at Aoshi nervously and sighed. "I'll have to get back to you on support for your...uh, your, uh, problem," Kaoru said, giving a small laugh at her horrible choice for words. "I'll see you later."  
"Bye, Kaoru," Aoshi murmured, miserably as he watched Kaoru walk out of the library. He laid his head in his arms as another flash of Misao smiling at him passed through his head. 'Fix it? How come you couldn't be more specific, Misao?' he thought, letting a miserable sigh escape his lips.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~  
  
That was only the first chapter! Get ready for a long and bumpy ride. I hate writing first chapters! They're always the hardest and also, I believe this story will be a bit more fast paced than the other one. I don't think it will be as good ::sigh::, but then again, sequels never are. Anywho, that should give you little insight into what is scheming up in my little head, hehe!  
  
Stay Tuned for Chapter Two: The Role of Shishio......Someone plants some ideas in Aoshi's head that makes him begin to have doubts about marrying Kaoru even if it is only to attract a certain someone. Why is Shishio the king's advisor? When did he show up? Will Kenshin and/or Misao make an appearance? One things for sure....a certain doctor and a young boy notice something strange going on!  
  
Ja ne! ~KaBunny 


	2. The Role of Shishio

Author's Notes: Phew! I am so dreading posting the last chapter of The Scholar and the Princess....you are all going to kill me ::sigh::, but there's nothing I can do about it... ah well, I guess I should continue to write this and hope you give me a quick death when the time comes to post... As always, any questions, feel free to ask.  
  
Title: The Swordsman and the Ninja Author: KaBunny E-mail: Alexandra_Miyoko@yahoo.com Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Two: The Role of Shishio  
  
'Four more days... four more days before I become a woman and four more days before Kenshin comes back for me,' Kaoru thought, smiling at her reflection. Lately, that was all she seemed to be doing, smiling. She also seemed to be singing a lot as she floated through her world of immerse happiness. How could she not be happy?  
She knew she had the strength this time. She was going to be a strong adult in four days and that was enough to give her the courage to deem anything possible. She was also going to marry Aoshi, the man her father had chosen as her suitor for the past year. So much had happened.  
Just about a year ago, Kenshin had popped out of nowhere to be a tutor for her, who needed manners according to her father. The only reason the king thought so was because she was learning to protect herself from Sano, the Captain of the Knights of Crysta. It wasn't her fault that she was fascinated by the art of swordsmanship. But, Kenshin wasn't only there to be a tutor for Kaoru.....he was looking for someone, actually Aoshi. Kenshin had hoped to correct the wrongdoing of what Aoshi had done and to prevent Aoshi's ideal of total equality with the enstatement of a military state.  
In the end, it had been Kaoru that Aoshi needed to kill all along. Kenshin had prevented it, but caused Aoshi to lose his memory in the process. Misao, Kenshin's younger sister, and Kenshin left to go back to their own kingdom of Alexandria to never return unless Aoshi should remember and decide to pursue his ideal once more. (A recap for those who missed my previous story, hehe)  
A few weeks later, Shishio had entered the picture as a new teacher for Yahiko as Aoshi, the previous teacher, was out of commission. Something in him sparked the interest of the king and he was appointed as the king's personal advisor. It had been as though they were glued at the hip from then on. The king would not go anywhere without Shishio at his side. He was always consulted on every issue even some of the most trivial kind. It was odd.  
Kaoru was not in the least suspicious, but Megumi, the head doctor of the castle, and Yahiko, the young Crystian Knight trainee, were quite so. Megumi had even gone as far as to mention something to Kaoru. She had said that it was as though the king had no mind for himself. Kaoru shrugged and replied, "He must have some mind for himself if he's still willing to force me to marry someone whom I do not wish to marry."  
That had hushed the woman, but it didn't stop her from looking into the issue. She recruited Yahiko and so, it was hard to find the boy and the doctor far from one another. It was making Sano quite angry. Yahiko spending more time with his girlfriend than he, himself, got and Yahiko not putting as much time into training as he used to.  
Yes, it had been an interesting year that had gone by. Kaoru sure did miss most of the time that flew by, however, because her head had been up in the clouds the entire time. She was too busy thinking about Kenshin to do much of anything. Of course, she had been helping Aoshi with his mysterious dreams, she finally got Sano to admit his feelings for Megumi, and she had also gotten Megumi to trap Sano in a romantic situation. She had come down sometimes... but mostly, she lived up in the clouds with her thoughts, spending weeks locked up in her room by herself.  
Kaoru sighed as she set her hairbrush on her vanity top. She ran her fingers through her long hair as she stared down into her lap. She turned out to glance at the moon that would be full on her wedding night. She faintly wondered if Kenshin was watching it somewhere in Alexandria just as she was watching it at that moment.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Kenshin glanced away from the moon as he heard his sister mumbling something in her sleep. He smiled at the young girl as he got up from his seat on the sill of the window. He walked over to his sister and brushed the back of his hand over her hair before walking over to the empty bed in the room. He sat himself upon it before laying back with his hands behind his head. He sighed lightly as he closed his eyes. He had moved into this house after working in the local resturant for nearly six months with Misao. It had taken that long to earn the money to buy this small establishment from the owner of the restaurant. Okina was a good man and he did offer a good price. Although, it was kind of odd living above the Akabeko, the restaurant he had been working at for the year. (I spelled that right, ne?)  
  
Life hadn't been as easy as it had been on the travel. He never thought that staying in one place would be so time consuming and less resourceful as living by the seat of your pants. He didn't mind it, of course. It was truly all for Misao, who had spent most of her younger years traveling with him on his quest to seek out Aoshi. She was only sixteen after all. (Don't go all fuddy duddy on me, kk? I told you I was going to mess with the ages because I only recently discovered how WEIRD all the ages are in the actual show....Kenshin 28 and Kaoru 18....weird, I tell ya! I mean....how could Kenshin be 28 with that adorable face of his?)  
For the last six years, Misao had been traveling with him. She had missed out on most of her teenage years to his incessant meddling. The first year of traveling had been awful, but that was because the war was dwindling to a halt and everyone was branded by a kingdom. You were either with Alexandria or with Crysta. There was no in-between, so border hopping had been imposssible. But, traveling got easier as they went and Misao continued to persevere and not complain at all even though Kenshin was stealing away her 'golden years'.  
It really wasn't his fault that their parents had died. So, she had decided that complaining about 'what is' would do nothing. But, following her brother had caused her to learn things that she would never had learned had she just been sitting in one place thinking about what kind of dress to make. She had been thankful, unknowingly to him. Also unknown to him, he had introduced her to the man she had been dreaming about for the past year.  
The other night through a dream, Aoshi had told her that he was getting married. Well, she knew that he was a real person, but she hadn't been so sure of this marriage. It could just be a dream, but it always felt like more. So, being the curious kitten that she is, she sent a letter to Yahiko in Cysta. She was satisfied that she would be getting a reply by tomorrrow, hopefully.....  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Hey sleepyhead! You have a letter....wake up, will ya?" Kenshin said, giving Misao another slight shake.  
The girl in the bed opened a bleary sea green eye and squinted for a few seconds until the shape of her brother swam into her eyes clearly. She groaned, annoyed, before rolling over and pulling the covers over her head. 'Why now? I was just about to....,' she thought and blushed. 'Kenshin! You ruin the best of dreams!'  
"Okina says that he wants you on the evening shift today, Misao. And the letter that came for you is on the table. I will see you later. I have the morning shift today, that I do," Kenshin said, closing the door behind himself. Misao listened to his wooden sandaled feet plod down the stairs before she registered what he said.  
'Did he say letter?' "Yahiko!" she shouted aloud as she sat up abruptly, throwing the covers off herself. Her eyes were wide with suprise and the blush that she had had, had vanished back into her pale skin. She glanced at the table where the letter lay and a smile creeped into her features.  
She hopped eagerly out of bed and scooped up the letter as she kneeled next to the table. She ravaged the envelope causing it to become confetti before she could actually get the letter completely out. She read it anxiously, her eyes darting quickly back and forth, but her large excited smile drooped to a frown as she reached the bottom of the letter.  
She dropped the letter on the table and rubbed her hands over her unhappy face. She peered out at it as if it would disappear or become a figment of her imagination, but it was as solid real as the table it sat upon. She sighed and sat for a moment, thinking.  
She then hopped up and dressed herself in her ninja, which had been sitting in the closet for the last year, neglected. She had filled out in a couple places that had been lacking before, but the outfit still fit comfortably. She then sat on her bed and put on her sandals before wrapping up her legs in the same fabric as her outfit. She wiggled her toes which were visible through the fabric, but not through her two toed socks.  
She grabbed a quill, some ink, and a piece of paper out of the drawer in the dresser. She wrote a note upon it and set it on the table, the bottle of ink on the paper as a weight. She glanced out the window at the blazing sun and smiled. 'I'll fix this Aoshi....I won't allow you to get married to Kaoru,' Misao thought, standing up and making her way to the door. 'Even if my brother is thickheaded, I'm not,' she thought as she closed the door behind herself.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Aoshi continued to pace, burning a hole in the wood floor of the library. Sano had been watching him for an hour now, an astonished look on his face. The man hadn't even slowed, nevermind the fact that he had been as stiff as a board. If it hadn't been for the fact that Sano had seen him blink, he would've been convinced of otherwise.  
It was time to see what was bothering the groom. Sano approached the man, but then was unsure of how to catch his attention seeing as he had been in his own world for the longest time. The brunette arched an eyebrow as Aoshi paced by him again still muttering to himself. Sano shook his head and put his arm out to stop the man.  
His path obstructed, Aoshi looked up from the floor to Sano's arm. He trailed his eyes along the arm and discovered it to be the knight. His eyes widened in surprise as if it was the first time he had found out that an arm was attached to a human being. "You better slow down, Aoshi. You're burning a line in the floor," Sano said, smiling at the man who seemed a little more pale than normal. "Have a seat and tell me what's on your mind. I got time."  
"Oh... it's just so confusing," Aoshi muttered, sitting himself down at one of the long tables of the library. He put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.  
"Would you mind elaborating a little more? I know I have a reputation of having the right answers, but I don't get it from reading others' minds," Sano replied, sitting down in the seat next to him.  
"Well, I'm not so sure I should be marrying Kaoru. I mean....I don't even know why I originally was going to marry her," he answered, staring at the floor through his fingers. "Is it proper? Even if I'm only doing it so Kenshin will show up, it still feels weird. I mean.....why can't I remember?"  
"I don't know," Sano responded, he gave a hint of a smile. "You can look at it two ways. You CAN'T remember or....you choose not to. But, I can tell you one thing. You're a much better person since you forgot everything. Kaoru likes it that way. Yahiko likes it that way. Hell, even I like it that way. Maybe you should consider that too."  
Aoshi glanced up at Sano in surprise and confusion. Sano gave him a reassuring smile as he stood up and wandered out of the library, tossing a wave over his left shoulder. 'What was that all about?' Aoshi thought, sighing once more. 'Apparently, I have more to think about.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~  
  
Bah! Done this chapter, finally! I keep getting kicked off by my brother and losing interest and such. When I have interest I have about five minutes ::sigh:: Ah, well....I just need to buy another computer and then I won't have this problem because when I have interest someone else always seems to be using the computer. Whatever....anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter/story. And I hope my poor e-mail account is okay...::sniff, sniff::  
  
Stay Tuned for Chapter Three: Wedding Bells.....the dreaded wedding day arrives. Will Aoshi understand what Sano said? (Do YOU understand what Sano said? heh heh) What happened to Misao? What was that letter she wrote? Will Kaoru's hopes be dashed or will Kenshin learn of the wedding? Does he even care for her as she thinks he does? Lastly, who placed these thoughts into Aoshi's head?  
  
Ja ne! ~KaBunny 


	3. Wedding Bells

Author's Notes: Phew! I seriously thought you guys were all going to kill me for the posting of the last chapter of S+P, but you didn't! I think the fact that I posted the first chapter of this story actually softened the blow.....maybe, it was the first brilliant idea of my entire life! What do you guys think? Meh, anywho....on with the story...  
  
Title: The Swordsman and the Ninja Author: KaBunny E-mail: Alexandra_Miyoko@yahoo.com Rating: PG-13  
  
Chapter Three: Wedding Bells  
  
"Kenshin, I thought you said that you told Misao that she was going to be working the noon shift today," Okina said, stepping into the back of the Akabeko where Kenshin stood all day over a burning hot stove.  
"I did. Did she not show up?" Kenshin questioned, not turning away from the food he had frying. He added a little more oil before flipping it up into the air and setting it back down onto the flame.  
"Would you mind going up getting her whenever you have time? We're a little short staffed, but someone asked to work extra hours this week, so.....now who was it?" he inquired, muttering to himself as he wandered out of the kitchen.  
'Misao,' Kenshin thought, getting a small annoyed look on his face as he mentally rolled his eyes like an annoyed female.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Misao! Where are you?" Kenshin called, standing in the open doorway which led into his small house above the Akabeko. 'Maybe she left.....but, why?' he thought, glancing about the living room.  
He closed the door and made his way into the house that seemed to be emanating a certain emptiness that hadn't been there earlier. He walked through the entire house and discovered that his sister was indeed gone as he had originally thought. He wandered around the house again, a confused look on his face. 'Where would she go? I already bought groceries at the market yesterday and we went shopping for her new kimono last week. Wait....what's that?' Kenshin thought, finally seeing the piece of paper located on the table in the center of the bedroom.  
He scooped it up and his eyes widened as he read the simple note. "Why Misao? There is no reason," he said aloud to the empty house. He stared at the paper for a long few moments of silence before he slid down onto his bed, a sigh escaping his lips as he thought.  
'Why Misao? There is no reason to go back to Alexandria. Kaoru is a princess and I am a lowly man. I cannot marry her and you can't change that. You know that. So, why?' he thought, sighing again.  
He read over the note again and decided that he had no choice. He would have to follow her and stop whatever it was that she was planning. Or.....should he just let her come back on her own? She was a big girl after all and was perfectly capable of making her own decisions, but what happened if she fell into danger! Wouldn't it be his fault if he didn't go after her? But, Misao was trained in the way of the ninja, so she had the ability to protect herself without him. So, what exactly was he supposed to do?  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Kaoru couldn't bring herself to look in the mirror. She was afraid that she wouldn't be as she had imagined herself to look on this day. That would be even more devasting than the factt hat she wasn't marrying the man she wanted to.  
She had begun to have doubts about that now too. What happened if he didn't show up and stop it? Would she marry Aoshi? Would someone else call it off? What would Aoshi do? She was pretty sure he had no desire to marry her either. He was too much in love with Misao to tie the knot with anyone but her. What happened if Kenshin didn't even hear of the wedding?  
'No! Stop! He's going to come for me! I know it!' she thought, running her hands along the white satin of the gown she was wearing. 'But.....what if he doesn't love me? What if my love is one sided?'  
Her eyes started to water up and she had to order the thoughts away once again before she messed up her make-up. However, the tears sitting in her eyes would not go away. They sat there defiantly as if the very symbol of her bad thoughts that were not voiced.  
A small knock caused the bride to turn around and stare at the door as Megumi entered. The doctor was wearing a simple black kimono with layers of light blue and white roses imprinted upon the black. She looked lovely and her face was framed by a few strands of hair as the rest of her long dark hair was swept up in a french twist. She smiled at Kaoru as she took a few steps toward her.  
"You look positively lovely, my dear," she said, still smiling. Her eyes seemed to water up as she stared at Kaoru. "You're so beautiful, I think I'm going to cry."  
"I think....I'm too afraid to look," she answered, blushing slightly from Megumi's compliment.  
"You must!" she responded, stepping up to the girl and turning her around to face th ebody length mirror.  
Kaoru stared in shock. She didn't even recognize herself. She looked like a whole different person dressed in the long flowing satin white gown she was wearing. She had two long curls framing her face and the rest of her hair had been pulled back in a clip with a river of dark curls spilling over the top. Soem pieces of her hair had been braided, so in between some curls a small braid was visible.  
The satin gown she wore was sleeveless and slid from her chest down to the lower part of her back, revealing her lovely pale skin. The bottom of the gown went a little ways past her feet and left a small circular train behind her when she walked. There was a white satin ribbon wrapped around her waist that formed a bow at the back of her dress where her skin finally fell underneath the dress. The veil she wore was made out of thin silk and covered most of her face, allowing her viewing access of the floor when on correctly. Her new crown was placed on her head, holding the veil on.  
She was rather lovely looking with her eyes traced in black pencil and her eyelashes long and curled. Her lips were colored in clear gloss and her pale cheeks had a small amount of pink from the blush the artist had used.  
She thought that she looked somewhat like a doll, a perfect doll. She had never felt more perfect in her life and was quite sure that she would mess up in someway to prove that she was not like the person she looked like at all. She was sure that she would trip over her dress or smug her makeup or say something to discredit herself in someway. She would mess up. It was matter of time.  
"Are you okay, Kaoru? You're really quiet and a little less happy than lately," Megumi stated, causing Kaoru to look back at her. She had forgotten that the doctor had been in the room.  
"I-I'm fine. Just a little nervous," she answered, giving a fake smile.  
"I know that smile! What's on your mind? Wedding jitters?" she questioned, arching a brow at the girl as she placed her hands on her hips in amotherly fashion.  
"Oh, Megumi!" she replied, sighing as she flopped down on the stool she had been standing on for four hours. People had been prodding, poking, dressing, fixing, and pulling her into clothes, make-up, and hair pins. She glanced up at Megumi, those same defiant tears sitting in her eyes. "What....What happens if he doesn't show?"  
"Kaoru, he'll show. He loves you," she answered, shaking her head simply at the girl.  
"Y-you don't know that....," she said, staring down at her lap.  
"Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru," Megumi muttered, walking over, sitting down, and wrapping her arm around Kaoru. "I've known Kenshin for nearly two years now. I saw him transform from Batoussai to Kenshin Himura. I've watched him with people he cares about. I must say that I've never seen him look at anyone else the way he does at you. I've never heard him drop formality with anyone without noticing it and then apologizing later. He loves you and even if it's not obvious to you, it is to me."  
"Thank you, Megumi," Kaoru responded, giving her a small real smile.  
"Hey! That's Doctor Megumi to you, Missy!" she answered, unwrapping her arms from around Kaoru to give her a little nidge before she got up and wandered out of the room.  
The remaining occupant sighed again, suddenly feeling the weight of the coming event falling upon her shoulders. She pulled the veil over her eyes before standing up and making her way over to the door. "Here we go," she said before opening the door and making her way down the hall.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
".....If anyone deems that these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace," the priest said, glancing about the room. "Alright then we shall move onto-"  
"Wait! I object!" the voice said from the doorway.  
Kaoru felt her heart leap and then sink once more. That wasn't Kenshin. She turned around with Aoshi, who had a look of surprise on his face like none had ever seen, to see whom she thought she had heard, Misao.  
The young girl had a hand over her heart and she was breathing heavily. Apparently, she had run all through the castle in search of the wedding. She had broken up the wedding, not Kenshin. She had come for Aoshi. Kaoru could take no more. She leaned over to Aoshi, tears sitting in her eyes.  
"She's come for you. I wish you well," she whispered, before picking up the front of her dress and making her way toward Misao. She smiled at the young girl and Misao gave her a sad look.  
"I'm sorry Kaoru," she replied, shaking her head. "He's not here."  
  
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Well, that's that for that chapter! I still haven't posted the second chapter yet, but you guys said that the first chapter was pretty much okay, so I guess I'm off to an okay start, ne? Well, I hope to be updating faster, but I just started reading "Canterbury Tales" so, maybe not!  
  
Stay Tuned for Chapter Four: Deja Vu.....Moonlit balconies....memories....and confessions. Wouldn't you like to know? I'm sure you would, but you'll just have to wait!  
  
Ja ne! ~KaBunny 


	4. Deja vu

Author's Notes: I'm now writing the fourth chapter and I still haven't posted the second ::sigh:: I'm so behind in posting and sending out chapters. I definitely need to catch up because it takes like five minutes to post three new chapters, so the sad fact that I haven't posted is, well.....sad, heh heh. Anywho, on with the writing.  
  
Title: The Swordsman and the Ninja Author: KaBunny E-mail: Alexandra_Miyoko@yahoo.com Rating: PG-13 (In this one.....people actually die ::winks:: Not in this chapter tho! So, don't worry....yet)  
  
Chapter Four: Deja Vu  
  
He hadn't come. Her worst fears had been confirmed and she had missed her window of opportunity a year ago. So, here she was, sitting in her lonely room once more with nothing but a broken heart.  
She hadn't even had the motivation to change out of her wedding dress, which had been cutting off the circulation to the lower half of her body for about ten minutes now. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts as best she could, realizing that now was the time to be happy for Aoshi who hadn't actually been having dreams for a year, but actually meetings.  
He really was in love Misao and she did return his feelings. Kaoru wiped her eyes and walked into the bathroom to wash her face. She glanced up at herself, the cool water soothing her hot face and gave a small sad smile. Her eyes were burning brightly through her pale features and she look rather frail. This thought seemed to be amusing to her considering that she had been trying to prove that she was just the opposite to everyone by learning swordsmanship.  
She sighed lightly, appearing to relax more as her tiring day slipped out of her mind. She looked up from the sink once again to the mirror as she shut the water off. She did look rather lovely. She gave a small laugh as she thought of Sano's reaction when he first spotted her.  
She also had to admit that she did look a lot like a princess with the crown sitting on her head. She had spent her entire life trying to escape the fact that she was a princess and born into noble blood, but it had finally caught up with her. She had to face the fact that she had no freedom or free choice. She had to do what the government bid of her. She had to do what he father requested of her. No more fooling around.  
She sighed again as she removed her hands from the side of the sink bowl and her eyes from the mirror. She walked out of her bathroom and laughed as she looked at the door. She remembered the look of surprise that Kenshin had worn when she had emerged from the bathroom, naked. 'He was probably wondering what happened to his ability to predict the movements of others,' she thought and laughed again.  
She wandered out onto her balcony and looked up to the clear moon as she leaned against the railing. 'I remember when I was out here and he called up to me,' she thought, closing her eyes and smiling. She placed her hand over her heart just as the summer breeze blew lightly. It was just like the other time.  
"Miss Kaoru?" a ghost voice questioned from below.  
Kaoru's smiled widened as she realized that her memory sounded just like the real thing. 'That was the night that he said goodbye to me forever,' she thought, sighing as she opened her eyes. She continued to stare up at the moon. 'I hadn't realized then that maybe I hadn't been considering Kenshin's feelings when I made that decision. Maybe he left because he thought I didn't care for him? No. He would've come back if he cared for me.'  
"M-Miss.....Miss.....Kaoru," a surprised voice whispered.  
Kaoru's eyes widened as she realized that that voice hadn't been in her mind. She turned her attention to the slightly illuminated ground, a look of surprise plastered on her face. "K-Kenshin....," she murmured, spotting him staring up at her. He was wearing a similar expression. "W- What are you doing here?"  
"Misao...she said she was....she left a note," he rambled, his composure not what it normally was. "Why are you dressed like that?"  
"Today I was to be married," she responded, looking back up to the moon.  
"Married? I had not known......all Misao said was she was coming here and that she would be back," Kenshin muttered, shaking his head. 'Did she break up the wedding? Is that what she came for? But....why?' he thought, staring questioningly up at the lovely Kaoru.  
"Kenshin," she said, tears slipping unbidden into her eyes. She gave him a small smile as she closed her eyes to hide her tears. 'He hadn't known! He didn't know about the wedding!' she thought, her heart leaping.  
"Miss Kaoru....where is Misao?" he asked, looking up at her again.  
Kaoru shook her head. "I don't know," she answered, looking back down to him. She had pushed her tears away. "The last I saw her....she was in the royal chamber with father, Shishio, and Aoshi."  
"Makoto Shishio? He's here?" Kenshin asked, his appearance stiffening as his eyes flashed to Batoussai's eyes.  
"Do you know something about him?" she questioned, now confused.  
"I'll tell you later, Miss Kaoru," he responded, turning and running off.  
"Mr. Himura!! Kenshin, wait!" she shouted after him. But he had already gone, he had left into castle, leaving her there by herself again, mixed feelings sitting in her stomach.  
She sighed and wandered back into her room, shutting the balcony doors after herself. She leaned against them and glanced down to the floor as she closed her eyes. He had left once again before she had been able to say anything. 'Hopefully, he won't get too far,' she thought, suddenly feeling a little lighter than she had been feeling earlier.  
A knock on the door caused her to look up in surprise. Who could that be at this late hour? She arched a brow, confused, as she walked to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see Kenshin there, staring down the hallway.  
"I apologize for bothering you again, Miss Kaoru, but I cannot recall the way to the throne room," he said, a small embarrassed blush appearing on his cheeks as he turned his attention to her.  
Kaoru laughed at this and opened the door wider for him to enter. She closed the door after he had entered and continued to laugh. "How could you remember where my room was and not how to get to the throne room?" she questioned once she had finally stopped laughing.  
Kenshin shrugged and shook his head. Apparently he had no idea how he remembered either. She laughed at him again. "Would you mind showing me?" he questioned, giving her a small smile.  
"I would love to, but I am not dressed properly to be out in public," she replied, tugging lightly on her white satin wedding dress. "I can't change either...I don't even know how to get into this dress...nevermind out."  
Kenshin gave a small laugh. "I would help you, but if you do not even know yourself, then how do you expect me to know? I know nothing of women's clothing, that I don't. Look at how Misao dresses," he responded, shaking his head and laughing again.  
"I might be able to....if you could help me find out," she said, arching a questioning brow.  
"Hm....let's see," he muttered, taking a step toward her. He began looking on the dress for some sort of zipper. He could find none just as Kaoru could find none. "Are you sure they didn't just sew it on you, Miss Kaoru?'  
"I'm positive," she replied, shaking her head and laughing.  
He stepped up behind her and she blushed when she felt his warm hand touch her back. He had loosened up the bow in the back and pulled off the long ribbon. "I found one zipper," he muttered, walking around to her front and handing her the long ribbon that had been previously tied around her waist.  
"Where is it?" she asked, glancing down at herself as if it would appear.  
"It was covered by the ribbon in the back of your dress," he answered, blushing slightly as he turned around.  
"Oh," she murmured, turning herself halfway around to see the small zipper. She pulled it down and watched the skirt slid off and hung in the front of her dress. "It only took off part of the dress. Now where's the other one?"  
"Can I turn around now?" he questioned, still blushing.  
"Hold on one sec," she muttered, still looking. She lifted up her arms and spotted the beginning of a zipper underneath her right arm. "I found it!" She unzipped it and felt the dress fall completely off her. She grabbed a nearby sheet and wrapped herself in it before walking over to the closet and stepping inside, closing the door behind herself.  
Kenshin turned back around as soon as he heard the door close. He blushed again when he saw the vacated dress on the floor. He picked it up and laid it nicely on the couch so it would not get dirty or wrinkled. 'She'll be needing it when she gets another suitor,' he thought, a sadness falling on him again.  
He turned to the closet door when he heard it open and Kaoru emerged dressed in her fighting gi. Her hair was still up with the crown placed on it, but she didn't seem to noticed. She stepped up to Kenshin and smiled at him. "I'm ready," she said.  
He reached up and pulled the crown off her hair. He set it in her hands and smiled at her. "Alright," he responded, giving her a nod. "Funny....I think your kingdom is a magnet for the wrong people."  
"I don't think you're a bad person and you were magnetically attracted here," she answered, setting the crown on her vanity. She turned around and smiled at him bashfully.  
"Well, first there was Aoshi...and now Shishio," he muttered, shaking his head. "For all I know others from my past could show up."  
"Ken-....Mr. Himura....who is Shishio, really?" she questioned, a concerned look on her face. "If you say he's a bad person, then I am worried about father. But, I do not even know my opponent. Shishio came not too long after you left as a replacement for Aoshi as professor, seeing as Aoshi hardly had a memory. Soon after, my father appointed him as his advisor. I saw nothing wrong, but if you say he's a bad man, he could have been doing horrible things all this time and I had no clue."  
"Shishio....is like my shadow," Kenshin said, looking up at Kaoru. "Before the war, we were both apprentices to my master. We were comrades....sort of. Shishio had a hidden desire for power that was not discovered until the war arose. He saw it as his opportunity to gain power. That's why I had to fight in the war, to stop Shishio from ruining one kingdom and gaining the power from that lost kingdom. I stopped him by not allowing either kingdom to gain more power than the other. I balanced the war so in the end only negotiations would end it. However, after the war, Shishio had fallen into the shadows. I lost sight of him because I had begun my search for Aoshi."  
"So.....Shishio has the same abilities as you?" Kaoru questioned, slightly confused. "How is that possible if you and Captain Sagara were the strongest in the war?"  
"Shishio operated in the shadows. No one really knew of him except those that he visited. He used the corrupt nobles as a means of discovering where all the higher officials of each kingdom would be. In return, he promised these nobles power once he became the new king of the lost kingdom," Kenshin explained, sitting on the edge of Kaoru's bed. "Aoshi was only partially the reason I lost sight of Shishio. I had discovered, through a network of people, that Shishio had been burned by the very nobles he had promised power. I thought he had been plunged into the depths of Hades. I never knew he would show up here."  
"Then.....then what does he want with Crysta? What is he doing here?" she inquired, shaking her head in confusion.  
"I intend to find that out," Kenshin said, looking up to Kaoru. His eyes were a dark blue color and his pupils small and dangerous.  
  
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"Your majesty.....a spy has been sent from the kingdom of Alexandria. She has come to corrupt your kingdom and find out valuable information so she can plan an invasion. Alexandria plans to take control of Crysta again! They have violated the Treaty of Venus!" Shishio reasoned, staring blankly at the king upon the throne.  
"Do what you must Shishio. I trust you will do the right thing," the man answered blankly. There was something in the king's eyes that said something was amiss. Shishio noticed it and smirked, satisfied.  
"Of course, your majesty. The sentence will be carried out at sunrise," he answered, the evil smile still on his lips. He then turned around to the two guards standing at the door. "You heard the king! Find and arrest Misao Himura! She is to be executed at sunrise on the order of the king under the suspicion that she is a spy!"  
  
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Do do do....I don't think this chapter was very good....I couldn't really think of how to write it and then I looked at the summary of how I had laid things out and realized that it went completely off track. O.O.....ah, well...I tried ::sigh:: I hope it's not that sucky....I hope the next one's better.  
  
Stay Tuned for Chapter Five: Execution.......Misao's execution draws near. A trial is held....is she found guilty? or not guilty? How will Kenshin expose Shishio for who he is to the king? What is going on with the king? You'd think that he would remember that Misao had helped to save his kingdom from the threat of Aoshi about a year ago, right?  
  
Ja ne! ~KaBunny 


End file.
